North Arlington football team gets surprise visit from former NFL Pro Bowler

by | Aug 17, 2023

Dec 31, 2006: Kansas City, MO, USA: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver (82) Dante Hall returns a punt from Jacksonville Jaguars punter (2) Chris Hanson (not pictured) in the third quarter as the Chiefs defeat the Jaguars 35-30 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley - USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) Denny Medley

By Sean Farrell / NoothJersey.com

A man who lit up highlight reels for nine NFL seasons lit up faces in North Arlington this week.

Former Pro Bowl returner Dante Hall made a surprise visit to North Arlington football practice on Tuesday to address players and share tips of the trade. The former Chiefs and Rams star still ranks in the top 10 in league history in both punt return touchdowns and kick return touchdowns.

North Arlington coach Joe Borkowski was able to set up the meeting through a mutual friend of Hall, who now lives in New Jersey.

While it’s been 15 years since Hall danced past pro gunners, Borkowski described his guest with three words any high school player could relate to: Madden cheat code.

“Once I started introducing him, I saw some eyes light up a bit,” Borkowski said. “Our first water break, I saw a bunch of them go to their phones and YouTube. I had to yell at them to put their phones away and check it out later. They were star-struck. The coaches were just as star-struck as the kids because my staff is all between the ages of 26 and 35. That’s our wheelhouse.”

North Arlington moved around the schedule of training camp to accomodate Hall’s expertise. Hall worked with some of the team’s returners at the start of practice, then hung around for offensive drills and provided feedback.

The meeting broke up the monotony of the summer for the Vikings, who are getting ready to face Fort Lee in the preseason opener on Saturday.

“Camp is hard,” Borkowski said. “We’re in camp and going against the same kids and the same color all the time. Having Dante there gave us some juice and some energy for the start of practice. We noticed a little extra pop. They were trying to impress him.”

Borkowski joked that the meeting was a little bittersweet since he and his dad are long-suffering Charger fans. They watched as division rivals in 2003 when Hall set an NFL record by scoring on a return in four straight games.

Hall’s ability to change direction and flip field position earned him the nicknames the X-factor and the Human Joystick. Borkowski hopes that success will serve as an inspiration for the Vikings who are coming off a 5-4 season.

“You can impact the game regardless of your role,” Borkowski said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the freshman water-boy or playing special teams or the team captain that doesn’t come off the field and scores touchdowns. Everyone has a role here. He made a living off it.”